Creme Egg Cheesecake

Everyone I know loves those darling little creme eggs that appear every Easter. As good as they are, sometimes the Easter Bunny can bring a few too many. Can you put those few extra eggs to good use without eating them straight out of the wrapper? This Southern girl can, and I'm going to show you how you can too, with this easy and delicious recipe for my no-bake creme egg cheesecake.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages of full-fat cream cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Wilton Candy Melts in bright white
1/2 cup Wilton Candy Melts in yellow
1/2 cup Wilton Candy Melts in light cocoa
24 mini Cadbury Creme Eggs
2 or 3 regular sized Cadbury Creme Eggs

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and butter. You may want to use your hands to make sure there are no lumps or bumps. Press this mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. If you don't have one, it's ok! Just use an 8-inch baking dish. It'll still taste the same, right? Put this in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

2. In a medium bowl, beat together the lemon juice and cream cheese (with an electric mixer) until it is soft.

3. Pour in the entire pint of heavy whipping cream, and keep beating until the mixture is thick. Add in the white sugar, and beat the mixture until it is stiff.

4. Chop 20 of the mini eggs into quarters, and gently fold them into the cheesecake mixture.

5. Spoon the mixture on top of the crust, and refrigerate overnight.

6. If you used a springform pan, now is the time to release the outer ring and remove it. If you used a baking dish, all you have to do is start decorting!

7. Melt each color of the candy melts in separate bowls according to the directions on the package. Put each color into a disposable decorating bag, snip off a tiny bit of the tip, and drizzle the melted candy all over the top of the cheesecake.

8. Cut the remaining mini and regular-sized creme eggs in half, and decorate the top of the cheesecake. You can add a bit of melted candy melts to the back of the eggs to help them stay in place if you like.

9. Chill for another hour or so before serving. That's it!

The best place I have found to buy Wilton Candy Melts and disposable bags is good ole' WalMart. They can be found in the cake decorating section near the craft department.

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